Take a sense of the avant-garde (via Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren), add an unerring flair (via Ikram Goldman) and mix it all into a party for Chicago’s fashion elite: That was the scene this spring, when Goldman hosted a sequel to her long-remembered 2006 welcome for the Dutch designers.

The first time around, the Casino Club was filled to the rafters with swank guests and a marching band that appeared as if conjured during dinner.

“It takes someone like Ikram to put something like that together,” says Snoeren, with a laugh.

No kidding. This time, as the designers celebrated 20 years ascending the fashion heap, Chicago’s best-known boutique owner gathered her party-throwing forces and set in motion an evening that ended with a surprise karaoke blowout in her chic, red-dressed stockroom.

So how does all the drama — sartorial and otherwise — translate into spot-on style and fabulous hospitality? All it takes is a dose of inspiration … and the chutzpah to throw seating charts to the wind.

Your new collections are full of beautiful, wearable clothes but still embody the dramatic spirit of Viktor & Rolf. Are you turning toward accessibility?

Viktor: In our minds, these collections are not more accessible than they already were, maybe the way that the message has been transmitted has slightly shifted because the shows look a bit different.

Nowadays, because there are so many brands, focus is even more important than it was in the past. What we are trying to do is really focus the message in the ready-to-wear and let that speak.

What inspired you for fall? The collection is very upbeat, a collection of classics with a twist.

Rolf: We are very interested in youth, or things that are very young. We don’t want to do a retrospective because it’s our 20 year anniversary. It feels more like a beginning for us.

How do you start a collection?

R: Whether it’s a collection or a perfume, we always start with language — writing down an idea and then start visualizing it.

V: It varies, it can be more emotional, more intuitive. But we always try to rationalize, or conceptualize what we have in mind. Try to search for the logic. If it’s a feeling, it’s like, why do we feel this? What does it mean?

Your work can be interpreted as humourous, but there is a seriousness to it. Is it both?

V: That’s exactly how we intend it. If there is a humor or if there is a lighthearted side to it, it’s always a side effect, but it’s never our purpose to create something that’s funny. If there is an element of humor, its part of the logic.

What role does surrealism play in your work?

V: A big role in the sense that we think along the lines of surrealists, I suppose. Meaning that we work with something that you know, something familiar — take that as a starting point then other things happen.

Your shows have been very theatrical, do you feel pressure to out do the last performance?

R: Sometimes the theatrics can somewhat overshadow the collection — although we like that the show is more than a parade of clothes.

V: We are trying to engage in a different way than before, more and more we are starting to do something a little more real, less theatrical. I guess in that sense, we are changing a little bit.

When you need a break from fashion, what makes you happy?

R: My dachshund, Little Swan.

V: A bit of sports and reading (laughs) a book about Russian history.

Tell me about your signature V&R eyeglasses.

R: We have been thinking about whether we should keep on wearing them. We started a long time ago.

V: Now everyone has dark glasses. What do you do? Do you stick to it? What’s the alternative?

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